Tips to Avoid Dental Anxiety
If you get nervous when you visit the dentist, you’re not alone. Read on to learn a few simple tips that can help reduce your dental anxiety.
- Join Our Dental Family at Three Creek Dentistry!
- Speak Up
- Don’t Procrastinate Treatment
- Distract Yourself
Choosing a friendly office that delivers high-quality care for your biannual dental checkups will help take the anxiety out of going to the dentist. At Three Creek Dentistry, we aim to give our patients the most comfortable and relaxing environment possible. If our blankets, pillows, warm scented towels, beverage bar, children’s iPads and play area, and other comforting amenities aren’t enough to put you at ease during your procedure, sedation dentistry is always an option. Nitrous oxide can be used for a routine dental cleaning as well as a lengthy dental procedure. Commonly known as “laughing gas”, nitrous oxide is safe for kids and adults, with no lingering side effects.
Let us know about your fears. The simple act of “getting it off your chest” can alleviate much of your anxiety. And be sure to ask questions. Fear and anxiety are often the result of the unknown. Therefore, the more you know about your procedure, the less your fear and anxiety. Ask us what to expect before, during, and after your treatment.
It’s critical to visit the dentist every six months for a dental cleaning and checkup. Avoidance and procrastination of necessary dental treatment can allow issues to worsen in severity, causing more fear, anxiety, and ill effects on your oral health and your overall health. Philosopher Bertrand Russell explained that thinking about something head-on helps desensitize you to its once negative impact: “The proper course with every kind of fear is to think about it rationally and calmly, but with great concentration, until it has become completely familiar. In the end familiarity will blunt its terrors; the whole subject will become boring.” The more familiar something is, the less likely it will cause you anxiety. And you will feel more confident in addressing it instead of putting it off.
If you still feel anxiety during the procedure itself, it often helps to distract yourself. Listen to music, squeeze a stress ball, make a mental grocery list of things you need to buy on the way home, think about something you’re working on at your job, etc. Deep breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques can also be very helpful.
We Want You to Feel Comfortable!
At our office, we strive to help you feel as calm as possible. If you’re overdue for your checkup, choose Three Creek Dentistry for your smile needs. Contact us to schedule an appointment with Dr. Trinh or Dr. Lam today.